It seems obvious that with the possible exception of the most desparate situations, using violence and war as a political, economic, or security tools has a
huge cost. The cost is always easier to see in hindsight - but history really gives us all the hints we need to know this.
Skipping over all of the issues about how we got into this particular fine pickle, which have been thoroughly discussed here before, I'd like to start with where we find ourselves now, and try to see how we can possibly get this thing to stop.
I believe that we are in exactly the same position that we were in with respect to Vietnam in 1968 or so. Privately in the pentagon and in congress many people must now hold the opinion that the Iraq war is essentially lost. The only questions are how long will we go on with it before we lose, and how will we spin and manage the loss.
But the people who hold these views cannot speak them publicly or they will lose their careers or their prestige - so we need to give them the political cover to speak out. And certain politicians who might be perceived as being the 'losers' they obviously are, are unwilling to lose. These immoral people - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others, are willing for tens of thousands to die to avoid losing. And they are powerful, and they are willing to lie to avoid this outcome. So it is going to take tremendous political pressure to get the war to stop. And that means we need to convince millions of Republican voters (among others) that the war needs to stop.
So what is the situation now in Iraq? Our forces are attacked by 'insurgents'. We strike back with the much greater force at our disposal. But then, the unavoidable countering reaction occurs. Our disproportionate response enrages more people beyond their threshold of violence and they attack us again, so we strike back again, and .....
This much is clear to most people here. We see that this is true. But how to get through to our Republican friends?
1) Morality
I think one way to be heard is to point out that Christian morality is not friendly to casual warfare. I'm no theologian - but certainly, "As you sow, so shall you reap", and the admonition to "turn the other cheek" (which is really referring more to not responding from anger or righteous indignation than to a more literal reading) apply here. I personally think it is best to stay general and avoid detailed Bible quotation sparring in this type of discussion - but general assertions can work pretty well. For example - it is just not consistent with Christian morality for the stronger to kill and maim the weaker out of fear for what might happen.
2) Pragmatism
The war is incredibly expensive in lives and money. What are we getting, exactly, by continuing it at this point? We need to explore the cost and lack of benefits with more detailed analysis and examples, and use them. How much does the Iraq war cost per barrel of oil imported from the middle east, for example? Well, we currently import somewhere around 2.5 million barrels per day (this is the 2003 number), give or take, and at $45 per barrel this is about $40B per year, or half the cost of the war. So we are currently roughly tripling the price of middle east oil with the war, if you choose to look at it that way.
3) Organizing
We need to support anti-war organizations. We need to write letters to the editor. We need to form anti-war groups at our churches if we attend them. We need to write our represnetatives to let them know this is important to us.
4) Plant and nourish the meme
The war is destructive. It is harming American interests at home and abroad. It needs to stop now.
I'm no Pollyanna. This is going to be a long uphill struggle. But it is not acceptable to me that my government continues to blow up innocent people in my name. We have to try. We have to do what we can.
Please add your ideas. Together we are wiser and stronger than any of us are alone.